JUNE 28, 2017 at PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA --- GAME #78/HOME #39 LHP BLAKE SNELL (0-4, 4.71 ERA) Vs
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TAMPA BAY RAYS (41-38) vs. PITTSBURGH PIRATES (35-42) JUNE 28, 2017 at PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA --- GAME #78/HOME #39 LHP BLAKE SNELL (0-4, 4.71 ERA) vs. RHP IVAN NOVA (7-5, 3.06 ERA) THE PIRATES...have lost back-to-back games after winning two in a row...Have gone 4-4 in their last eight games and 9-7 in their last 16 after losing four straight and five-of-six...Won a season-high four straight games from 6/10-13...Have gone 21-19 in their last 40 games, dating back to 5/13...Have scored a season-high 12 runs four times; the last time coming on 6/2 at New York (NL)...Had a 37-40 record after 77 games last season (37-41 after 78). BUCS WHEN... IVAN THE INNINGS EATER: Ivan Nova has pitched at least 6.0 innings in each of his first 15 starts this season; just the seventh Pittsburgh pitcher ever to do so (since 1913) and the first since Eddie Solomon, who pitched 6.0 innings or more in Last five games ................ 2-3 all 17 starts in 1981...Nova has pitched 7.0 innings in each of his last two starts and enters today’s action ranked fifth among Last ten games ................. 5-5 National League pitchers with 103.0 innings pitched. TURNING UP THE HEAT IN JUNE: In 23 games this month, Andrew McCutchen is hitting .386 (32-for-83) with six home runs, Leading after 6 ................ 25-6 22 RBI, a .464 on-base percentage and a 1.139 OPS...He is tied for second among N.L. batters in average, ranks fourth in Tied after 6 ....................5-4 OBP and is tied for fifth in RBI...Over the course of his Major League career (2009-2017), McCutchen’s .316 batting average in June ranks first among National League players (min: 800 AB) and third among all MLB players behind Miguel Cabrera Trailing after 6 ................ 5-32 (.320) and Adrian Beltre (.320)...His 154 RBI total ranks third among all players behind Albert Pujols (174) and Cabrera (159). Leading after 7 ................29-4 SUPER NOVA: Since being acquired by the Pirates last year on August 1, Ivan Nova’s 3.06 ERA is the fifth-best among all Tied after 7 .....................1-2 Major League pitchers (minimum 150.0ip) behind Washington’s Max Scherzer (2.51), Minnesota’s Ervin Santana (2.80), Chicago’s Jon Lester (2.85) and St. Louis’ Carlos Martinez (2.98). Trailing after 7 ................ 5-36 CASHING IN AT PNC: Ivan Nova has gone 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in seven starts at PNC Park this season, Leading after 8 ................29-4 pitching at least 7.0 innings four times and winning four of his last five decisions...In his 13 home starts since joining the Pirates last year, Nova has gone 8-3 with a 2.49 ERA (86.2ip/24)...His home ERA in that time is the fourth-lowest among N.L. Tied after 8 .................... 3-2 pitchers behind Jon Lester (2.14), Dan Straily (2.34) and Carlos Martinez (2.46). Trailing after 8 ................ 3-36 SEEING A SOUTHPAW: The Pirates are facing a left-handed starter tonight for the first time since June 12 and for just the fifth time in 40 games since May 16...Andrew McCutchen is hitting .357 against southpaws this season, collecting eight Scoring first ..................23-14 hits in his last 19 at bats...Adam Frazier holds a career average of .368 against LHP, including a .333 (11-for-33) clip this Opp. score first ................12-28 season...David Freese has seven hits in his last 15 at bats against lefthanders and is hitting .317 overall this season vs. LHP. BUCS/RAYS: The Pirates and Rays are meeting this week for the first time in regular season action since doing so in Tampa Scoring 4+ ...................31-10 during the 2014 season...The Bucs won two of the three games that year and are 7-6 all-time against the Rays during inter- Scoring less than 4 ............. 4-32 league play...This series marks the first time since 2008 that the Rays have played in Pittsburgh, where the clubs split the six previous meetings; the Pirates won two-of-three in 2005 and lost two-of-three in 2008. Outhitting Opp. ............... 24-5 INTERLEAGUE ACTION: This series marks the fourth interleague series of the season for the Pirates; they were swept by the Being out-hit ................. 9-35 Red Sox in Boston, took two-of-three from the Yankees in Pittsburgh and lost a two-game series in Baltimore...The Bucs posted a 9-11 record against American League teams in 2016, going 3-7 at home and 6-4 on the road...Since the start of the 2012 Hits are equal .................. 2-2 season, Pittsburgh’s 60-47 (.561) interleague record is the best among National League teams; Tampa Bay has gone 61-45, which is the fifth-best mark among A.L. teams. Comeback wins ................. 17 TRENDING UPWARD: Andrew McCutchen collected two hits Tuesday night and is now tied with Gus Suhr (1379) for 17th Wins in final AB ..................7 place on the club’s all-time hit list; Jason Kendall is 16th with 1409...McCutchen also ranks fourth on Pittsburgh’s all-time Walkoff Wins ....................4 home run list (189) and his 508 career extra-base hits rank eighth - 16 behind Dave Parker (524). Losses in final AB ................ 10 RINGING THE BELL: Since the first All-Star Game was played in 1933, the 14 home runs hit by Josh Bell are the second-most ever hit by a Pirates rookie prior to the All-Star Break...Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner hit 15 in 1946 on his way to hitting 23 in Walkoff Losses ...................6 his first season with the Bucs...Bell’s 28 extra-base hits are the most by a Bucco rookie prior to the All-Star break since Richie Hebner had 28 in 1969...In addition to Bell and Hebner, only two other Pittsburgh rookies have had 28 or more extra-base hits Extra Inning Games ............. 5-7 prior to the break; Dale Long (29 in 1955) and Lee Walls (28 in 1956). Playing errorless ..............17-21 THE JASO SHOW: In his last 25 games, dating back to 5/21, John Jaso is hitting .328 (22-for-67) with eight doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI...In that time, he has gone 6-for-11 with two home runs coming off the bench...Overall this season, Committing at least 1 Error .......18-21 Jaso has gone 6-for-16 (.375) with seven RBI as a pinch hitter...Over the last four seasons (2014-2017), Jaso is hitting .347 Homered ................... 27-24 (26-for-75) with four home runs and 16 RBI as a pinch hitter - the highest PH average among all MLB players. 2+ homers ....................13-2 RAVING ABOUT RIVERO: Felipe Rivero has been charged with two earend runs in his last 19 appearances (20.1ip) while striking out 22 batters and holding opponents to a .101 average (7-for-69)...Rivero enters today’s action with the third-lowest Series (W-L-T) ..............10-10-4 ERA (0.88) among Major League relievers behind Pat Neshek (0.59) and Kenley Jansen (0.83)...Rivero has posted a 1.84 ERA (68.1ip/14er) in 67 games since being acquired by the Pirates last year on 7/30; the third-lowest ERA among all Major League Series Sweeps ....................2 pitchers in that time (min: 60.0ip), trailing only Andrew Miller (1.57) and Alex Wood (1.76). Swept in a Series .................5 HAVE MERCER: Jordy Mercer is hitting .347 (43-for-124) with eight doubles, three triples, five homers and 17 RBI in his last 32 games (since 5/22)...His average in that time is best among all MLB shortstops and the fifth-highest overall in the National League. Interleague ................... 2-7 Before the break ............. 35-42 ON THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY After the break .................0-0 June 28, 1970: Pirates swept a doubleheader from the Cubs, winning 3-2 and 4-1 in the last two games ever played at Forbes Field in front of 40,198 fans. The historic ballpark served as the home for Pirates since 1909. Dave Giusti picked up the win in relief in game one and earned Starter goes 6.0ip+ ............21-19 the save in game two. The sweep gave the Bucs a share of first place in the N.L. East, along with the Mets. Starter goes less than 6.0ip ....... 14-23 UP-COMING GAMES AND PROBABLE PITCHERS Thursday vs. Tampa Bay 7:05 RHP Chris Archer (6-4, 3.97 ERA) vs. RHP Jameson Taillon (3-2, 3.33 ERA) ROOT Friday vs. San Francisco 7:05 RHP Johnny Cueto (5-7, 4.20 ERA) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (6-6, 4.11 ERA) ROOT Saturday vs. San Francisco 4:05 LHP Matt Moore (3-8, 6.04 ERA) vs. RHP Chad Kuhl (2-6, 5.58 ERA) ROOT Sunday vs. San Francisco 1:35 RHP Jeff Samardzija (3-9, 4.63 ERA) vs. RHP Trevor Williams (3-3, 4.82 ERA) ROOT 46 - RHP IVAN NOVA YEAR W-L ERA G GS CG SHO IP H R ER BB SO 2016 12-8 4.17 32 26 3 0 162.0 175 81 75 28 127 2017 7-5 3.06 15 15 2 1 103.0 100 37 35 11 59 M.L.